)}})
Dominant Somerset cruise past Glamorgan
A superb innings from Will Smeed and a crucial 59-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Craig Overton and Roelof van der Merwe saw Somerset to comprehensive victory over Glamorgan in this Vitality Blast clash at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
Somerset remain unbeaten at home in the competition this season as they seek to retain the trophy that they won in such style last summer.
Smeed helped himself to 86 runs from just 48 balls, but Somerset had slipped to 123 for seven in the 14th over before Overton and van der Merwe took the hosts to a competitive total of 193 for eight.
Glamorgan could only muster 85 in reply as Somerset came out on top by 108 runs.
Lewis Gregory was the pick of the Somerset bowlers, claiming three for 11 as he equaled Max Waller’s record of 139 T20 wickets for the Club.
After losing the toss and being inserted, Somerset’s innings started well, but tailed off before finishing in the manner in which it started.
Smeed and Tom Banton produced an opening stand of 38 inside four overs before Banton was bowled by a full delivery from Timm van der Gugten.
It was 51 for one at the end of the six-over powerplay as Smeed took centre stage, dominating a second-wicket stand of 54 inside six overs with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who fell to a boundary catch off Andy Gorvin for nine.
By then Smeed had gone to a brilliant 30-ball half-century with a pulled four to fine leg off Douthwaite. He celebrated by clearing the rope in the same area next ball and Somerset looked on course for a 200-plus score.
However, that changed in the 12th over, which saw Douthwaite send back Tom Abell, Sean Dickson and Gregory with the second, fourth and sixth deliveries, Dickson to a brilliant one-handed catch by Jamie McIlroy at mid-on. When Ben Green was caught and bowled by Mason Crane at the start of the following over four wickets had fallen in the space of seven balls.
Smeed, who had looked on course for his second T20 century, was bowled by a full-length ball from Douthwaite and Somerset were seven down with more than six overs of their innings left.
Overton and van der Merwe then took centre stage, showing their experience by steadying the ship before a late assault, which saw Overton hit sixes over long-off and long-on, the latter sending the ball sailing into the River Tone.
A half-century stand off 30 balls gave the hosts momentum going into Glamorgan’s reply, which saw Overton dismiss Kiran Carlsson, caught at third man in the first over, and Riley Meredith send down a wicket-maiden, having former Somerset player Eddie Byrom caught behind for a duck.
Marnus Labuschagne and Northeast took the score to 37 by the end of the powerplay, but the second ball of the seventh over saw Labuschagne fall lbw to Gregory aiming to leg. Colin Ingram then guided an Overton delivery straight to gully to leave Glamorgan 43 for four.
Northeast miscued an attempted scoop shot off Gregory to Jake Ball at short fine-leg and when Douthwaite offered the same bowler a tame return catch Somerset’s captain had equalled leg-spinner Max Waller’s record of 139 T20 wickets for the county.
Van der Gugten clothed a Ball delivery to cover and Chris Cook was superbly caught by Green on the cover boundary at the end of the same over to make it 71 for eight. Gorvin delayed the inevitable with a couple of belligerent blows, but left arm spinner van der Merwe wrapped up the result, taking wickets with his only two balls of the innings.
